I had a SERIOUS motorcycle breakthrough yesterday! Well two, actually 😉

I went to California Superbike School and took their level 3 training (they offer 4 levels in total). While levels 1 and 2 were completed some years back on one of their BMW S 1000 RR school bikes, I decided to take the next level on my own R 1200 GS (for those of you non- Motorcycle folk, this is akin to taking an advanced cooking class, and using only a Swiss Army knife for your food prep).

California Superbike School is all about effective cornering. While levels 1 and 2 cover the broader strokes of taking turns, Level 3 delves in to all sorts of tiny nuances and techniques: body position, where to grip the bike, and using your upper body to affect tighter turns. Awesome stuff.

I mentioned offhand that I had never touched a knee to the ground (at least, not without the rest of my body immediately following). Trainer Dylan Code took me outside to a tiny dirt bike, and in 4 minutes had me dragging knee in the parking lot. Sweet!!

But employing such skills on a dirt bike is a far cry from engaging them on my behemoth GS. I spent the rest of my sessions practicing and refining the skills CSS taught me.

Then, on the last session of the day, success! First it was a *snick* of my knee puck against pavement. Then, a *sniiiick* of about 10 feet. And finally, an immensely satisfying 100’ drag of my knee, all on the trusty GS! Sooooo awesome.

I mentioned 2 breakthroughs, and knee dragging was certainly one. But it was immensely satisfying to make it through class on the GS. Track schools are intimidating to me, with all the epic riders and their dedicated track bikes and custom leathers. Rolling in on the GS raised a lot of eyebrows. But everyone was super cool, and the GS totally held its own (though my dualsport tires were pretty much melted off the bike!).

Want to be a better street rider? California Superbike School USA can help. Worth every penny!